What is Postcrossing?
Postcrossing is an online project which allows its members to send and receive postcards with fellow members from around the world. The person or the place from where you’ll be receiving is always a surprise. The members of Postcrossing are referred to as Postcrossers.
Postcrossing is the union of the words “postcard” and “crossing”. Here, “crossing” refers to the exchange of postcards. Although direct swaps between members happen, they are not part of the official happenings on the site. The project is completely free and anyone with an address can create an account. However, the postcards and postage fees to mail them are the responsibility of each user.
Beginning of my journey on Postcrossing
I remember the day when I was aimlessly browsing through my stamps and learning something random about them on a philatelic website when I stumbled upon Postcrossing.
The website said that Postcrossing was an indirect way to collect stamps. So, I gave it a try and I was inspired by the idea of it — not because I could collect stamps through it, but the fact that the world was in my reach. It didn’t take me even a minute to sign up for Postcrossing. I was so awe-inspired that in 10 minutes, I had created an account, filled out my profile, requested for an address and was on my way to buy a postcard and a stamp. I wish I could reminisce that moment.
How does Postcrossing work?
If a member sends a postcard, they will receive at least one postcard back from a random postcrosser somewhere in the world.
- The first step is to request to send a postcard. The website will display and send the member an email with the address of another postcrosser and a Postcard ID (e.g.: US-787) which uniquely identifies that postcard in the system.
- The member then writes the postcard ID on it and mails the postcard to that postcrosser.
- The postcrosser receives the postcard and registers it using the Postcard ID that is on the postcard. At this point, the sender is eligible to receive a postcard from a different postcrosser.
Each member can write a profile text which will be visible to the postcrosser who requested an address. This profile can contain personal information about the recipient or postcard preferences. The Postcrossing system allows for the same two members to exchange postcards only once.
How to get started?
All you need is a Postcard, a stamp and a pen. Postcards are normally available in bookstores.
Now, you’ve got to write a message for the receiver.
- A message to the receiver is usually written on the left side of the postcard.
- The stamp is to be stuck on the top right corner of the postcard. If you’re unsure of the postage to be used, you could check the correct amount with your post office.
- The recipient’s address should be written on the bottom right corner of the postcard.
- If you’re exchanging through Postcrossing, you will have to write the Postcard ID on it too.
Now that the postcard is ready to be sent, you can drop it in the nearest postbox you can find.
Is Postcrossing safe?
Most of the time, when I explain Postcrossing to someone, the first question that I get is, “Is it safe though?”. Let me answer the question now.
Some of us may have doubts about having our mailing address up and available for strangers, and that is completely understandable. Postcrossing has been very particular about safety and has taken a lot of precautionary measures to keep our data private. Therefore, as long as we stick to the rules (i.e. not to share ANY personal details at any time), then we should be pretty secured. I personally have not encountered any unfavourable events from this community thus far.
The information that you write on your profile is all dependent on you. There are options in one’s Postcrossing profile settings that allow you to stay more “anonymous” (not giving your date of birth, profile picture, etc. ). There is always an option to use a pseudonym instead of your name.
Your mailing address is only visible to the person who is randomly assigned to send you a postcard and only used to exchange postcards in the project. Not just anyone on the website can see it.
If you are still hesitant then check with your work or school if you can use their address. Getting a PO box at your local post office is also an option.
PC’s inception
The project started in 2005 when Paulo Magalhães, a Portuguese computer systems engineer and postcard lover, thought it would be a good idea to connect people who share the love for sending and receiving postcards. You can read more about Postcrossing’s history here.
The project started initially as a hobby for Magalhães, but its unexpected success revealed that the idea was more popular than he ever predicted. He initially hosted the project on an old computer housed in a clothes closet at his home, which was shown to be insufficient. Based on word of mouth, the project quickly expanded over the Portuguese borders where the project was developed.
Over time the project received attention from the media, which contributed to its growth and popularity. The popularity of the site has led to the academic community exploring what makes Postcrossing so successful and what other digital communication technologies can learn from that success.
To learn more about the history of Postcrossing, click here.
Why should you join Postcrossing?
I think the most charming thing about Postcrossing is connecting with thousands of people from very different cultures and to learn something new every day.
The element of surprise, the different handwritings, knowing about someone or a place in such a small card is a great feeling. It could be from a cyclist in Cologne with a picture of the Rhine River or a Chinese woman from the States with a one of a kind Hydrangea stamp!
Practising a language, expanding your knowledge about other cultures, literally seeing new places in the world… I can’t come up with any other hobby that would offer the same for the price of a stamp. As postcards are small and light, they don’t cost too much to post — even to countries on the other side of the world.
You’ll be lucky enough to receive mail from people living in other countries (some of which you may not have even heard of!), living in different cultures, with different interests and hobbies. The postcards themselves may depict places you have never seen before, and you get a real insight into the lives and towns of others. Who needs a passport when you can travel the world like this?
While you can’t request specific postcard types through Postcrossing, you can explain your likes and hobbies on your bio and some people will kindly send you postcards based on that if they can. If you, for example, love trains and dogs, you may end up receiving images of trains and dogs from across the world — which is pretty amazing! If you like international music, you could mention it in your bio and receive a song on your card. I’ve done this and absolutely enjoyed the songs! Of course, if you collect stamps, you’re really in luck, too!
Why not sign up and give Postcrossing a chance?
The postcrossing.com community has given me so much. I’d like to thank them by spreading this wonderful idea and encouraging more people to join us!
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There’s a lot more to explore regarding Postcrossing! If you’d like to, here are some links which you might find interesting and useful :
Postcrossing Forum — A place where postcrossers talk about anything and everything. You can also arrange for direct unofficial swaps involving anything with people around the world. Lotteries, tags, round robins, penpal requests and everything in between can be found in the forum.
Postcrossing testimonials — A page to display the postcrossers’ messages and appreciation for the Postcrossing project.
Postcrossing FAQ — Everything you need to know about sending and receiving postcards and Postcrossing in general.
Postcrossing blog — A page for heartwarming and inspiring stories about postcrossers and their experiences. There are occasional posts regarding different topics related to Postcrossing. Make sure to check out the archives too!
We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.
- Anais Nin